None.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to child safety restraint systems in transportation, and in particular, to child restraint systems for use on aircraft. More specifically, the present invention relates to a removable, portable strap assembly for securing automotive child safety seats to aircraft seats and frames in compliance with federal aviation safety regulations.
2. Description of Related Art
The safe transportation of children is an issue of national interest. Every state in the nation has enacted laws pertaining to the use of child safety seats in vehicles for the transportation of infants and toddlers under 2 years of age. Substantial progress has been made in the design of these seats and education of the public in the necessity of their use. Airline transportation has provided safety engineers with different problems to address than automobiles. Additionally, since travel by infants and toddlers on aircraft is less frequent than by automobile, design improvements have lagged. Since parents traveling with infants and toddlers are required to have child car safety seats at their final destinations, the safety seats normally travel with the parents, but often are stored as luggage, with the children being held by the parents or secured into an aircraft seat with a standard lap belt. The small bodies of children are not well protected by a lap belt, and are at extreme risk when being held by a parent or guardian. Infants held by a parent or guardian also pose a serious risk to other passengers and crewmembers, since the adult is unable to hold onto the child in severe turbulence, high energy stops, and crashes. The result is that infants and toddlers on aircraft are currently at much higher risk of injury or death than adults.
Presently, a number of child car seat designs are commercially available. These include, but are not limited to:
1. Rear-facing Infant Seats with and without removable bases (birth to 20 lbs.)
2. Convertible Seats, Rearward Facing Position (birth to 20 lbs.)
3. Convertible Seats, Forward Facing Position (20 to 40 lbs.)
4. Forward Facing Only Seats (20 to 60 lbs.)
5. High-Back Booster Seats with Built-in Harness (30 to 40 lbs. when used with harness).
6. Belt Positioning Booster Seats (40 to 80 lbs.)
The weight descriptions are used for general identification purposes only. The foregoing description is not intended to be instructive as to the use or safety of any car seat. Weight recommendations are usually combined with height recommendations and these numbers vary substantially from model to model. The manufacturers"" recommendations for the individual car seat design should be consulted and followed. Forward facing child safety seats (not including booster seats) now include a top tether strap to provide additional protection to the child""s head. This is part of the xe2x80x9cLower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) System,xe2x80x9d which is also intended to make installation of child safety seats easier by requiring child safety seats to be installed without using the vehicle""s seat belt system. This adjustable tether strap is attached to the back of a child safety seat, and has a hook for securing the seat to a tether anchor located on the rear shelf area, the rear floor, or on the back of the rear seat of the vehicle.
Aircraft operators currently permit the use of existing aircraft restraint belts in combination with (#1) Rear-facing Infant Seats and (#2) Convertible Seats, Rearward Facing Position. However, the use of existing aircraft restraint belts in combination with (#3) Convertible Seats, Forward Facing Position, (#4) Forward Facing Only Seats, and (#5) High-Back Booster Seats with Built-in Harness, fails to provide adequate safety for children in a survivable crash situation. The use of (#6) Belt Positioning Booster Seats is prohibited.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) currently accepts the use of automobile safety seats that meet the specific requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) xc2xa7213 as required by Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) xc2xa7121.311.
Public and governmental awareness of the continuing safety issues related to children traveling by plane has increased dramatically in recent years. On May 16, 1995, the National Transportation Safety Board issued Safety Recommendation A-95-51 recommending revision of 14 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) Parts 91, 135, and 121 to require that all occupants be restrained during take-off, landing, and turbulent conditions, and that all infants and small children be restrained in a manner appropriate to their size.
On Feb. 11, 1998, the FAA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking comments, data, and analysis regarding the use of existing child restraint systems during all phases of flight. The FAA is now developing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to require that all occupants (including infants and children) be properly restrained during take-off, landing, and turbulent conditions, when the seatbelt sign is illuminated and when instructed by a crewmember. Pending revisions to FAR xc2xa7121.311 and new regulations under development, are intended to provide infants and toddlers an xe2x80x9cequivalent level of safetyxe2x80x9d to that of the adult passengers by utilization of child safety seats secured to aircraft seats in a manner that meets the dynamic test requirements of FAR xc2xa725.562.
The use of existing forward facing child safety seats, secured by an aircraft lap belt, will not achieve the requirements of the new and revised Federal Aviation Regulations. The inventors have recognized that one reason for this failure is that when tension is applied to existing seat belts, they pull downward on the child safety seat. This allows a forward facing child seat to pitch, or rotate forward in the event of a crash. When this occurs, infants experience excessive head acceleration and possible collision with the seat backs of the seats in the adjacent row. The problem results from the relatively low and forwardly located position of the attach shackle of aircraft lap belts. The present invention corrects this problem with a simple, inexpensive, removable system that can be retrofitted to the great majority of the hundreds of thousands of commercial aircraft seats currently in use.
The concept of designing xe2x80x9caircraft onlyxe2x80x9d child seats has a number of disadvantages. One disadvantage is that it would increase travel cost. Another disadvantage is that use of aircraft only safety seats becomes substantially inconvenient for travelers and airlines. Families would have to bring two child safety seats with them for every child. Alternatively, airlines would be forced to inventory numerous heavy, expensive, and bulky xe2x80x9caircraft onlyxe2x80x9d safety seats. Another disadvantage is that this would increase the weight of the cargo of the aircraft, since parents would be traveling with the automotive safety seat anyway.
The option of dedicating a limited number of selected seats with integral safety seats to children has similar problems. One disadvantage is that such designs are not easily removable or portable, and would thus limit the seating arrangements between parents and children, since the number and spatial arrangement cannot accommodate the variable number of family members. Another disadvantage of these devices is that they are higher in weight. Another disadvantage of these devices is that they are expensive. Another disadvantage of these devices is that they pose additional sanitation issues.
It can thus be seen that there is a need to develop a design for securing automotive safety seats securely into aircraft seats in a manner that provides infants and toddlers at least an equivalent degree of safety as is provided to adults. There is also a need to design a system that meets or exceeds the requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations. There is also a need to design a system that is removable, portable, and light-weight, and not bulky to store. There is also a need to design a system that can accommodate the various aircraft seat designs. There is also a need to design a system that is inexpensive and convenient to use. There is also a need to design a system that can utilize car safety seats in securing infants and toddlers safely in aircraft seats.
A primary advantage of the present invention is that it provides infants and toddlers a degree of safety that is at least equivalent to that currently provided to adult passengers. Another advantage of the present invention is that it exceeds all current and pending Federal Aviation Regulations. Another advantage of the present invention is that it is removable, portable, and light-weight, and not bulky to store. Another advantage of the present invention is that it can accommodate the various aircraft seat designs. Another advantage of the present invention is that it can accommodate both forward and aft facing orientations of children. Another advantage of the present invention is that it is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Another advantage of the present invention is that it is easy to install. Another advantage of the present invention is that it can utilize FMVSS xc2xa7213 approved car safety seats to secure infants and toddlers safely to aircraft seats. Another advantage of the present invention is that it does not interfere with evacuations, passenger comfort, tray table use, seat back pocket and safety information card access, or carry-on luggage storage. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an aircraft child restraint system is disclosed comprising a pair of anchors having a beam connector on one end and a belt connector on the opposite end. The beam connectors are connectable to the forward seat beam of an aircraft seat. A first belt assembly has a latch plate on one end, and a clip on the opposite end. The clip removably attaches the first belt assembly to the belt connector of one of the anchors. A second belt assembly has a releasable buckle on one end, and a clip on the opposite end. In the preferred embodiment, the second belt assembly includes a second belt adjustment assembly located between the ends of the assembly. The clip removably attaches the second belt assembly to the belt connector of the other anchor. The latch plate is quick-connectable to the buckle.
In another embodiment, zip-ties are used to secure the anchors to the rear seat beam of an aircraft seat. In another embodiment, a first belt adjuster movably connects the latch plate to the belt. In another embodiment, the first and second belt assemblies are constructed of polyester webbing. In another embodiment, a webbing guard is located on at least one belt assembly. In another embodiment, the webbing guard is imprinted to identify the preferred position of the belt assembly as xe2x80x9cwindow-sidexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9caisle-side.xe2x80x9d In another embodiment, an adjuster pad is located on the second belt assembly. In another embodiment, the anchors are made of wire rope. In another embodiment, the wire rope is 7xc3x9719xe2x85x9xe2x80x3 stainless steel cable. In another embodiment, the beam connector is a loop formed at the end of the wire rope and a rope grip for securing the loop. In another embodiment, a protective shrink-wrap is applied to at least a portion of the wire rope. In another embodiment, the shrink-wrap is color-coded to assist in location of the anchor. In another embodiment, the belt connector comprises a thimble located at the end of the wire rope, with a loop formed by the wire rope around the thimble, and a loop sleeve securing the loop around the thimble. In another embodiment, the clip is a snap hook attached to the belt assembly.
In an alternative embodiment, an aircraft child restraint system comprises a first belt assembly having a latch plate on one end and a beam connector on the opposite end. A second belt assembly has a releasable buckle on one end, a beam connector on the opposite end, and a second belt adjuster located between the buckle and clip. Each beam connector is removably connectable to the forward seat beam of an aircraft seat. The latch plate is quick-connectable to the buckle.
In an alternative embodiment, an aircraft child restraint system comprises a first belt assembly having a latch plate on one end and a beam connector on the opposite end. A second belt assembly has a releasable buckle on one end, a beam connector on the opposite end, and a second belt adjuster located between the buckle and clip. Each beam connector is removably connectable to the aft seat beam of an aircraft seat. The latch plate is quick-connectable to the buckle.